The Palisades of the Hudson

The Palisades Interstate Parkway, completed in 1958, provides a scenic 42-mile ride from the George Washington Bridge to the Bear Mountain Bridge. About 11 miles of the Parkway are in New Jersey, from the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee to the New York state line at Alpine.

Parkway Overlooks

Rockefeller Lookout

Rockefeller Lookout (el. 400 feet) is a pull-off overlook in Englewood Cliffs, about 1 mile north of Parkway Exit 1, opposite Spuyten Duyvil and accessible from the northbound Parkway only. No restrooms or other facilities are provided. Rockefeller Lookout is open 24 hours.
Photos: Anthony Taranto.

Alpine Lookout

Alpine Lookout (el. 430 feet) is a pull-off overlook in Alpine, about 3 miles north of Parkway Exit 1, opposite Yonkers and accessible from the northbound Parkway only. No restrooms or other facilities are provided. Alpine Lookout is open 24 hours.
Photos: Anthony Taranto.

State Line Lookout

State Line Lookout (el. 520 feet) has its own unnumbered exit in Alpine, New Jersey, about 2 miles north of Parkway Exit 2, accessible directly from the northbound Parkway and via a median U-turn from the southbound Parkway. A refreshment stand, gift shop, and restrooms are available (port-a-johns are available in the warm weather months when the refreshment stand is closed). The grounds at State Line Lookout are open 6 AM to 9 PM from April through October and 6 AM to 7 PM from November through March.
Photo: Anthony Taranto.

The new road on the Palisades…

Top: Parkway “demonstration mile” in Englewood Cliffs in 1955. Bottom: New York Governor Averell Harriman and New Jersey Governor Robert Meyner at the opening of the NJ Section of the Palisades Interstate Parkway, June 22, 1957.
Photos: PIPC archives.